Cicutoxin
by The Nevermore Raven
Summary: Have you ever been there, reader? In a depressing, dimly lit room, crammed into a cage like a savage beast? Your nostrils assaulted with the distinct odors of rust and urine? Without so much as a bed to rest on? With no one caring for you? I have. This is my new life; a life worse than death!


_**Cicutoxin**_  
By: Nevermore Raven

_Who'd have thought the humble carrot had such an insidious cousin?_

"The pokemon's strength is staggering. I can clearly see now why you spent the Masterball on this one, Lord Giovanni! Phenomenal performance." Sunlight glinted briefly off the pair of sunglasses that the Boss always liked to sport. The day was hot in the midst of August, the hottest month of the year. The sun was on its late-afternoon descent, and the annual racket of cicadas filled the otherwise calm air. The voice was that of a man with steel-blue hair in a matching white button shirt and shorts, with a distinctive, bold scarlet "R" situated on his right breast. He stood besides Giovanni along with a shapely woman with fiery red hair, and two other men. The whole group was sheltered beneath a shade that covered them at the shadowed tree-line, enjoying their provided beverages in the heat. All in the group were dressed likewise with matching uniforms.

"Indeed. This one may send even the Legendaries running," the stunning redhead added before downing another sip of lemonade, afterward moistening her slightly chapped lips. The third man, sporting a spiffy goatee and hair of violet, studied the struggling pokemon in the distance before commenting, or more correctly, asking about said pokemon standing in the center of the arena.

"Where did you find this lucario, Boss?"

The Boss, looking quite smug in his short black hair and shades, smirked to the inquiring purple-haired man. He ruled the world at the moment, and he knew it. Team Rocket had its downfall, but it had revived from the ashes, like a phoenix reborn. Its two defeats at the hands of determined youths were humiliating, but didn't quite put the criminal organization to rest. In secrecy it gathered its strength, sure to maintain an even lower profile than before in order to conceal its existence. Meanwhile, Rocket's pokemon trained madly to improve, striving to become ever stronger. The surprise lucario proved a pleasant bonus.

"Down at the gaming corner, Petrel."

Laughter filled the shade tent for a brief moment. Giovanni waved a hand before answering seriously, allowing the tease he produced a moment to thrive.

"This stunning creature is one I encountered near the Lake of Rage, Petrel. Why, or how, I wouldn't know. But that doesn't matter now, anyways."

Petrel's eyes lit up at the answer, and he gave a curt nod in response. "Yes, sir. Will you send him for a second round?" The following pause was filled with still more rattling cicadas, calling incessantly one to another for mates. In a few weeks time all of the loud, scratching insects would be dead, returning to the earth from which they emerged, littering everything by the thousands.

"A nice idea. Send him out for more, Doctor X!" All eyes turned to a man at a console in a white lab-coat ten meters away. Dr. X was proven invaluable to the team. He was the mind behind the Mewtwo experiment, and it had proven itself worthwhile-before the pokemon escaped thanks to its renowned cunning and strength. To that very day, Giovanni knew not the pokemon's whereabouts. Mewtwo turned out to be a loss as far as Rocket was concerned, but this lucario could hold his own in battle.

"Would you like me to send out two golem, sir?" The scientific mastermind offered, only to be corrected right after by the Boss.

"No. Send out two of the _legendary_ golem."

Dr. X gasped in amazement, but didn't hesitate for long. He knew better than to anger the Boss. Even with his regarded position at the head of the Team Rocket Science Department, he couldn't wiggle much around the executives. Especially Giovanni...

"Which two, my lord?"

"Whichever!" Giovanni waved a hand in gesture, and at his command two legendary pokemon, one a towering mass of granite, the other a giant crystal of ice, materialized out of shaping light on the battlefield.

The two creatures bellowed their names before approaching the lucario. The lucario the Rockets all were admiring, the one just captured, the one pushed to perform in the boiling heat, was me...

**II**

I had only just gathered my breath when the two behemoths surrounded me. Defeating the four golems earlier proved itself easy enough, taking only a minute, two at most. That was often how these pokemon battles worked out. Intense, yet brief. Fight till you win. Or drop. Or die. Whichever came first.

This new pair of challengers proved imposing, but were not invincible by any means. I had a type advantage against both, as I was a fighting type. The odds were still against me, being a 2 to 1 battle. It was unfair, and intentionally so. That was how Rocket had always been, and always would be. Thats how the Rocket rolled, and it didn't give a flip if you didn't like it... The crooks.

I was an oddball at worst, and a marvel at best. I looked similar to all lucario, save for two differences. My coat, which would have been cobalt blue on the common lucario, was instead a dusty, speckled grey, and my eyes were cool blue, not fiery scarlet. Secondly, I had no chest spike, and never had one to begin with. My parents had told me that we originate from a tribe of lucario called _Cloud_ near the Lake of Rage in Johto, where I was captured. But the past seemed of no good consequence in the present; indeed it had proven to be part of the reason for Giovanni's unwanted attention.

I don't know how I had gotten such strength in _Aura_, or even why. Chance? Blood? Training? Attitude? It was all beyond my understanding, but it was there regardless, and my family of a dozen boasted in me for it. Other lucario eyed me with awe for it. Opponents cowered from it. And the Boss, upon witnessing it himself... he had to have it.

All was fine until the Boss found me that one fateful day. Having spotted me there, watching me right as I was in the unusual act of taking down a healthy mature gyarados with a single _Aura_ sphere, he was impressed with my display of strength and decided I was worthy of an inescapable Masterball. That is all I know about it, was its name. Evidently, it was called that due to the fact you can't break out from a Masterball during capture. What rotten luck.

My strength was the reason he was testing me to my limits that very moment, and on the first round alone he and his cronies were astonished by the performance and in reaction pushed me harder for more power. They wanted to find my limit, and it seemed likely they would find it on that very day. The matter was so important to the man that he watched the battle personally, instead of watching through a camera in his private office.

I myself didn't yet know the extent of my power, but given the opposition I was facing-not one, but two legendaries at the same time-it was obvious Rocket had great ambitions for me. Giovanni was either mad to promote such a challenge or very daring. I knew well it was the latter reason more than the former that he made such a gamble. His aura, it was cold, sterile, and unyielding like iron, and like iron can do quite well, it held a sharp edge. I'll hand it to him that the Boss was smart, gifted in his own twisted manner.

He doesn't care about the welfare of his pokemon, nor for their happiness. They only fight relentlessly, or are restrained and left in cages in the storage, or left in their pokeballs, which although it was more comfortable to us it was also unusual. Freedom is a fool's dream for Giovanni's lot of pokemon... And I am that fool with the dream.

**III**

The cages kept in store were drab at best. Some of them even had the beginning traces of rust from the underground moisture of the hideout. But they were worthy of themselves, being made of the same material as my skeleton, renowned for its strength. Giovanni opted to place me in his best cage. I'd been granted the honor of residing in the strongest cage he had, and to my chagrin it was somewhat smaller than the others. It was too small an area to stretch out and sprawl or lie down. It was too short for me to stand in it upright, so I either had to crouch slightly while in its confines, or sit on the floor. I've grown to hate that cage. Yes I have.

Through this captivity, my former name and my identity have been stripped from my person. I no longer was part of a family. I no longer had friends or relatives. I no longer had a pleasant home to return to after a long day's work. I was given a lonesome cramped and cold cage instead, as if an inanimate object of metal could sufficiently substitute for my entire life, for everything I've held dear. It showed with clarity how much the Rockets cared for me. The cage stood alone; there was nothing else in it, not so much as rags to sleep on! The first night was bad. The second was worse. The third was even more so. By now, a week has passed, and the future couldn't attract an appearance of more profound despair than it had already if Arceus commanded it.

The grunt released me from the virtual confines of my pokeball and shoved me, while still dazed, into the confines of solid iron. The room had but one light, a lone light-bulb hanging from the ceiling in the middle of the room near the door, with cages along the walls extending into darkness. Shadows were intense in that room as they etched out outlines of darkness, and the lack of privacy proved bothersome.

As I landed with a thud upon the cage floor, the lackey chuckled in malice before he slammed the door closed. The loudness and finality of the clashing gate of metal was so profound that it may as well have been a death sentence. I remember cringing at the racket it made, its initial impact still ringing in my ears.

I still hear that gate shutting in my dreams... or whatever you could identify as left of them. Assuming that I am actually sleeping. Nowadays sleeping and waking seem to inexorably merge together, no longer distinguishable from one another.

The first night was the most shocking for me, doubtless. This harsh treatment has tempered me somewhat, producing a rougher edge to my character. I've lost everything worth living for. But before I tell you details about asides, I will show to you the impact of my first contemptible night as a Rocket pokemon...

Have you ever been there, reader? In a depressing, dimly lit room, crammed into a cage like a savage beast? Your nostrils assaulted with the distinct odors of rust and urine? Without so much as a bed to rest on? With no one caring for you? I have. This is my new life; a life worse than death!

For better or worse, I had two neighbor pokemon as company. Unlucky souls that were the slaves of Giovanni, as I was meant to become myself. Yet in their own way, the had a stroke of good luck that I didn't; they were born into this nightmare. I have suffered great loss in my capture here, whereas the others didn't even know what true loss was. This monotony and gloom is all they ever knew and ever would know, whereas I was helplessly drowning in an abysmal ocean of grief.

Motivation to do anything was nonexistent in that bleak setting for me, and my fellow pokemon couldn't help noticing that. The others were motivated for the only release they had become accustomed to: victory in battle. As an adjustment to the lack of motivation, or a positive method of influence, the Rockets turned to the negative method for my control without even a hint of shame. Pain. Eyes squinted at the word as tears welled up from inside of me, yearning for a release that I couldn't even provide them.

Right now, I have sores wearing into my legs from sitting on the hard metal for so long, the flesh rubbing raw, already bare from the abusive contact of abrasive iron. Pain. Right now, I realize the finality of my grim situation. Pain. My heart desperately pines for the life I've been blessed with before all of this madness unfolded and decided to make me its hapless victim. Pain. The fact looms in my mind without a hint of any sympathy that I can't escape this_ terrible fate_. Pain. My desire to eat had waned considerably, provoking the relentless ache of hunger. Pain. My mind carries the immense weight of utter darkness. Pain. Pain. Pain! Please! Make the pain go away! I can't!

While I sat there in the shadows that first night, my grey ears discerned the sound of movement nearby. Out of curiosity, I turned to find the source of the noise, to see what pokemon it was that had produced said disturbance. The movement's characteristics struck me as peculiar, as it was of a slow pace. As if it were crawling. It also was steady, incessant, constant. A moment had passed before the noise stopped, its sudden acoustic vacancy claimed by utter silence.

"Well, well. That'ssss a new, pretty faccce that I haven't sssseen before."

The first voice I've heard spoken to me in hours since my capture was raspy and vaguely feminine. A slender, shiny face of violet approached the light as narrow eyes peered at me through the bars of my cage. The other presence was a bother to me and I silently wished the arbok wasn't there.

Blue eyes drifted to the voice, focusing on the face with only partial interest as if I had better things to do. It wasn't that I had better things to do. It was more that I had things I'd rather do. My mind was having to withstand the weight of endless, upsetting thoughts that plagued me every second. I wanted to be left in silence so that I could at least suffer in peace, so I definitely wasn't in the mood to speak to anyone whatsoever. Especially not with some stranger.

"Who are you? I've never ssseen a pokemon like you before." I didn't answer the other one's question, but then a second voice joined in right after. The voice of this one was deeper and gruff, more similar in tone to my own voice.

"Wow. Who are you? Tell me. Hey. Where did you come from? How did you get here?" To my left just across the room an arcanine took a moment to study my form. Why did he only now take notice of me? Perhaps he was sleeping this whole time. Maybe my new scent had aroused his curiosity, causing him to return from the drifting of sleep. Both of them inquired of me but I ignored them, still in shock over the magnitude and turn of the day's events.

My eyes peered forlornly at the gate of the tiny cage while I curled up my knees, wrapping my tail around a pair of cold feet. For the first time since I'd arrived, I noticed that the room was cooler than it first appeared to be. I really didn't want to bother with these two pokemon! In fact, I had no desire to live in the absence of a chance to escape! A smothering sense of loneliness drowned my heart in the gloomy depths of depression. There must be a means or an opportunity to escape from this nightmare. It may even arrive in a form that I would never suspect...

**IV**

And now, to your curious mind that has for one reason or another drifted here to listen to the monologue of a desperate soul, I will continue where this tale opens: where a pair of legendary colossal forms, that of regice and regirock, surrounded me. The arena on which I was sent to fight was contained with care by a near-invisible reflective screen of energy. Even the strongest attacks caused it no harm, as it was energy-based and reflected the energy of the attack instead of absorbing it, as materials would have.

As I mentioned prior, it is the middle of August, the hottest month of the year. Cicadas were scraping constantly in the background, providing an ever-present drone that smothered what would have been silence. The sun descended in the late afternoon as the sky filled with the orange glow of sunlight, and the heat remained oppressively strong.

The fighting thus far had dampened my fur with sweat and left me momentarily winded even though I knew quite plainly that the fight was not yet over. The cage I was placed in was so uncomfortable that resting proved only marginally useful for replenishing my strength, so physically speaking I was weakened. But with _Aura_, physical exhaustion alone was initially irrelevant and so it remained powerful as ever. I was doubtless going to need it to best these two legendaries!

My ribs and diaphragm heaved as I fought to gather my breath in the wake of downing four golem. Feet parted for the needed stability to leap into action in an instant, my eyes darted about to study my approaching enemies as they both towered above me. I could feel the ground pulsate through my soles with each massive step of the behemoth opponents. The form of regirock eclipsed me for a moment from the sun's glaring rays but the instant was far too brief for said shade to allow me to cool. I usually hate sweat. This coat of fur I wore made it less effective as it soaked itself into my pelt, slowing the evaporation that would have cooled me otherwise. My fur flattened against my body to improve cooling, but that only cooled me so much.

"Ice," the massive crystal buzzed right as it swatted an arm. The attack was blatantly easy to prepare for since the two pokemon were on the slow side with many of their movements. An understandable lack of swiftness was an advantage I intended to use, but the relatively low rate of motion wasn't without a drawback. The pokemon's motions were with such a nature because the pokemon were so massive. Even with what one could consider an average speed the kinetic energy within each limb was immense thanks to the great mass involved, so any landed blow would connect with a powerful thunk.

I had every reason to avoid these impacts, and was more than able to do so throughout this battle. Ice kept on swinging as Rock waited in silence, standing nearby. I was at a grave disadvantage with two opponents. Even if I could easily dodge one attack or volley of attacks from the first pokemon, I had the probability to be left open for the second.

A second swipe of crystal limbs followed the first, all of them missing me by several feet. "Ice!" The crystal's voice rose in anger. Dodging once again, I was worrying about the monolith of an opponent behind me. While ducking under a heavy punch from Regice, a powerful crash that I didn't predict slammed into my back, nocking the air clean out of my ribs as I flew through the air. My mouth gaped and eyes clenched shut on instinct, and I was sent to the ground with such speed that I couldn't prepare for the landing. My elbow hit the ground first, causing me to tumble violently over and over before finally landing facedown on the dust. I blacked out briefly while I was twenty meters from the pair, giving me only enough time to stand while my head throbbed with pain. I had suffered from a concussion in that landing.

Lungs burned as air finally decided to return to me with a strained gasp. The result left me panting before the two pokemon followed with a second attack. Clearly evasion alone wouldn't win me the battle, so in my mind I devised a strategy to use their slow might against them.

Rock threw a second punch at me from my right, and I sprang into action. I leapt into the air, and with a bit of agility on my side, I placed both feet on the fist and used their newly gained momentum to propel me forward, into an aggressive missile of grey aimed at Regice. The speed would have been blinding to a human, so I appeared to be a grey blur as I threw a chop at the giant ice-cube. The satisfying, sharp sound of splitting ice met my ears as the behemoth cried out in pain before toppling. I landed nimbly on my feet. The ground pulsed with the collapse of Regice as dust rose from the heap.

I took the opportunity to focus an _Aura Sphere_ with moderate effort before launching it at the frozen Goliath. No cry reached my ears as a blast of fire and dust filled my sight. A small shock-wave ripped the air, and the blast rattled my eardrums when it struck me. Shards of melting ice rained down in the aftermath. I sprinted away to gain distance from both of the opponents, grateful that the screen allowed me so much room to move. I realize that aside from the basic attacks they had used, they had used no moves on me. They must have been overconfident, and that error was one I would make sure would cost them the battle. I increased the distance from them to over a hundred meters before preparing for the next attack.

I raised my paws and aimed them at the mass of granite, with the just then standing, badly damaged Regice searching to find me. A perfect chance. They provided me a great opportunity to finish the battle in a single blow, so I took it. Later on I wondered if holding back my power would fool Giovanni into believing he had overestimated my strength but concluded that didn't mean that he'd release me. He didn't seem the kind of man to release pokemon. I figured that he'd just as likely kill me, and I also wanted to last as long as I could to take any arising chance to escape.

Focusing once more, I realized it would take much more than that to take both of the golems out. The effort required to form such an _Aura Sphere_ was very great, and I strained to keep it stable in order to gather energy before the launch. A bead of blue light formed in my paws, gradually growing to the size of a basketball before propelling forward. A surge of _Aura_ left my form, and I watched in silence to observe the impact on Regirock. A near blinding flash forced me to close my eyes for a second before reopening them. A fireball twenty meters in diameter engulfed both of the golems while a visible shock-wave rippled along the ground, lifting a film of brown dust a few inches above the earth behind it. I realized that the blast would be quite loud and covered my ears with black paws on instinct.

The atmosphere violently split in two around me, so great was the noise. The blast was of such a magnitude I felt it in my very bones, making me quite glad to have covered my ears. Reluctantly, I lifted my paws from my ears as thunderous echoes of the blast rebounded through the air. In the nearby trees, birds and other animals scattered in panic. The fireball rose into the air and dimmed to brown as it billowed and twisted atop a column of dust. From flashing into existence the blast took on a life of its own, climbing its way to the heavens and growing as it went still higher like some exotic tree stretching into the sky above.

My ears swiveled to focus on the executives while they stared at the aftermath. Eyes bulged from their sockets at the sight. Giovanni himself managed to forget his beverage as it spilled on the grass at his feet, lifting his shades to beckon a better view of the still-rising cloud. Mouthes gaped in shock. Dense and consistent rumbles faded into the distance as silence crept in. Eventually, the moment of silence was broken. And it wasn't broken by cicadas.

"Shit! Holy shit! I've seen two miracles in the very same minute!" Dr. X swore as he nervously examined a pair of pokeballs, one in each hand. "That blast was a miracle, and the fact a pokemon survived it is a miracle! Lord Giovanni! That lucario damn near _killed _both your two legendaries!"

The only reply to reward the frazzled scientist was the elated laughter of Giovanni. "Indeed, Dr. X! Words can't describe my joy at the sight!"

**V**

In the wake of that afternoon battle, the Rockets forced an undesired retreat to my cramped cage for the night. A return to the stench and darkness of the underground. For the second time that day, my eyes peered forlornly at the gate of the tiny cage while I curled up my knees, wrapping my tail around a pair of cold feet. To the pokemon in these cages, comfort is no more than an unheard of fantasy, a fairy tale at the most. It's likely these prisoners have never known comfort, and as such never knew what they were missing to begin with. Were that the case, the lack of this luxury would be of no real difference to them. It's impossible to miss something when you'd never encountered it.

I had thought of trying an escape, seeing that I have nothing to lose and was probably stronger than any pokemon in the Rocket''s arsenal, but the idea doesn't sound so promising upon noting the armed guards and extensive security surveillance throughout this hideout. I'm not desperate enough to make such a gamble for freedom. Not yet.

"Hey you. Yeah, you. Grey fffurball..." Azure eyes diverted languidly right to the speaking violent serpent, before returning focus in reluctance to the gate that had so effectively trapped me. The cage had entombed my mind and spirit as well as my body. Clearly a cage has a restricting influence beyond its own inherently physical nature.

"You were fffighting above usss when that earthquake hit, weren't you? Did you sssee anything?" With a twitch of my cold toes, I wondered about the point of saying anything to the Team Rocket Pokemon. As if telling them could help me with escape.

I rewarded her earnest prodding with a soft-spoken reply.

"Does it really matter?"

The viper made a slight cringe at hearing my voice, as if she didn't expect me to respond. Or perhaps she didn't think such a quiet sound would choose to provide an answer. The arcanine opposite us took note of my vocalization, and interjected with a question of his own. The both of them were so entertained by my arrival. I must be the first new pokemon they've seen in a good while. How long has it been for them? Weeks? Months?

"Who are you? You haven't spoken since you first showed up, and that was days ago. So, who are you?"

That question made me grimace before providing an answer and closing my eyes.

"Who I am doesn't matter. Not anymore."

"What do you mean?"

"What I said. Not anymore. Not since I was caught. I'm nobody, now. No one."

"Nobody? That'sss ssstupid. You have to be sssomebody!" The arbok hissed in doubt. Her serpentine eyes narrowed as they attempted to decrypt my inner thoughts. Nice try. She wouldn't even know how to _respond_ to my bleak thoughts!

"I was in the past. Just not now. There's nothing to live for now..."

The two locals glared at me in astonishment. What the Hell was this pokemon thinking? I easily imagined them saying that to themselves.

"Nothing to live for?"

"Exactly."

"You've gone mad!"

"I wish I had. Madness would prove itself a savored and priceless refuge in this pit of despair. Pity it's insufficient for me."

"Pit of despair? Why don't you make any sense to us?" By now, the three other pokemon had started watching us. Little happened around here, no doubt. Let's see... There's a golbat, a geodude, and zangoose. A giant, floppy, bloodsucking parasitic blue mass with gaping maw and sharp fangs, a living boulder, and a clawed cat. Whatever.

"Why should you care?"

My question struck a chord. The arcanine and the serpent were silenced, if only for a moment. Must I suffer with these base cretin pestering me to the point of insanity? I decided it best to remain silent afterwards. A moment of silence later, the arcanine and arbok tried in vain to resume the pointless conversation, reaching my speckled salt-and-pepper ears as little more than harsh, grating static.

"Can you make any sense of this nut, Arbok?"

"Are you ssserioussss? A psssychic couldn't make sssenssse of this fffool!"

In apprehension, I closed my eyes in an effort to mentally mute the mumbling that caused me further misery. To no avail. The two of them won't shut up! And they call me the fool! The hackling and discussion of the dense duo wore into my already fragile patience...

"It would only prove true that you can't make sense of me. A matter of perspective. My point of view is one unlike any the lot of you could ever dream of. Don't waste your breath probing me; your efforts to understand my bitter anguish would prove futile at best, provided you don't even comprehend the essence of what anguish is to begin with!"

You may have heard a pin drop in the silence that followed. Silence... The absence of sound. What I want so badly at the moment. "Be quiet, that I may at least suffer in silence..."

**VI**

A day, maybe two days had gone by. I overheard a Rocket mentioning how the Boss was acting uneasy. I had a good idea why, too. He was afraid because of the risk of me escaping. I could level a whole wing of his hideout with an _Aura_ _sphere_ like the one I used to end Regice. In such a scenario, the blast would destroy everything in it and nearby, rendering security measures, cameras, and guards useless, leaving only a wake of ruin in its place. His being nervous implied that it was a good time to try an escape, and so I made the effort. Here it is... My chance. My _Aura_ strength was just beginning to diminish, adding to the pressure. I made my decision. The time to act had arrived!

Breaking through the cage was easier than I had first anticipated. I selected a time when the base had grown unusually quiet, assuming that the early morning had arrived. I used my _Aura_ to survey every detail of the base I could, every guard, every door, every hallway, and every lock. I had a major advantage.

I knew that stealth was of the essence if I were to make the elusion attempt a success. In the wee hours of the morning, all of the pokemon were fast asleep. With a series of well-placed chops, the lock of my cage yielded to my frustrations. I made sure to close the gate behind me, lest it slam against the cage while closing and cause a loud racket, waking the whole room with it and dashing my chance of escape. Could I trust the other pokemon to stay quiet? I shook my head at the thought. While I closed the gate, I was grateful to be a fighting-type. Aside from a psychic-type, fire-type, and ground -type pokemon, no other type could have breached the cage without exhausting itself in the process.

Fight beats steel. It is a matter of fact. The bulk of the base was nothing but. I approached the door warily, looking about to assure myself the others were still asleep. Hind-paws tapped softly on the cold cement, the dust of the floor making its way to irritating the raw wounds in the arches of my feet. This discomfort is a detail. I must escape from this Hell!

I paused at the door. I reasoned that the door was locked, and that furthermore it had an alarm. To force it open would set off the alarm. Busting it down would be feasible, yet it had an undesired consequence. Could I drill my way through the cement? A toe tapped the cold, stone-like surface. It seems quite solid. Drilling it would awaken the pokemon behind me thanks to the racket drilling would produce in the meantime. What options does that leave me? All of the escape options from this room involve breaching the peace and blowing my cover. Unless...

I turned to pace to the back of the room, _Aura_ tassels lifting to study the room's posterior in detail. There... Behind the last row of cages, is a vent at the wall. That is the way to go... isn't it? The vent may be wired with alarms of its own...

With a pause, I studied the vent to the best of my ability, with sight, sound, and _Aura_. The vent presented itself as without difficulty. Even then, I had my doubts. Giovanni was a crafty one. Surely he'd have the ventilation shafts rigged with sound sensors, lasers, and the like, not all of which would be detected by the means I have available. The door would then prove itself my best option. Even the door had its drawbacks! The door was the most obvious means of escape, so it had the greatest odds of having surveillance and alarms. The vent? Or the door?

With a moment's pause, I took a deep breath and decided on trying the door. To breach it, I had a method that would not open the door directly, and be silent for the most part. _Aura_ _Beam_. Channeling a focused ray of _Aura_ would heat the door to a great temperature, and had the chance of melting it through. Would it work? Only one way to find out...

Paws aimed at the door while concentration intensified. Steady... A faint wisp of blue light arced from my palm at the door, before growing more defined and increasing its brightness. From a thin wisp, to a shaft of azure light the thickness of a pencil, the beam continued to grow. The light grew to the diameter of a basketball... I need to make it larger... Eventually, the beam reached a meter in diameter. That is the proper size. Now, I needed to intensify it. To focus. To melt through the door of steel that barred my escape.

The glare of hot-blue light hurt my eyes, so I decided to close them. Sight wasn't needed to focus and aim _Aura_, anyways. I was standing, what, roughly two meters from the door and even there, I could feel the heat as it bathed my face in its molten glow. Just a little more... I cut the beam of blue-white heat and opened my eyes to survey the results. Just as planned, a meter-wide ring of orange metal bordered my escape, causing the air around it to waver violently. Drops of glowing orange slag dripped to the floor with the viscosity of molasses, contrasting against the burnt black of the door, once a dull shade of grey. I leapt through the breach, toes having little room to clear the gap. The residual heat from the melting blasted my whole body as I passed through the priceless escape to freedom.

Hallways of steel and doors were there to welcome my exit, and nothing more. The halls remained suspiciously quiet even while I sprinted through them, one after the other. The inaction of the base set me on edge. What were they doing? Surely they'd be sounding the alarm, sending out armed guards and pokemon by the dozens to subdue me! Yet even as I concluded so, the hallways remained eerily peaceful. Door after door opened with a simple prompt by a pushed button, almost as if welcoming my prison break of the facility. I shook my head, grey-speckled ears drooping to the sides in my dismay. Dammit. I've been baited. I know it. Yet the escape looked so easy! And that was the problem...

What would the trap be? Was there a trap? I knew it would be difficult to be too careful, so I pressed onward. Thoughts of my former life began to seep through the seams of my heart. No. Not now... That will distract me... Not now... Argh. Bother me in a little while, when I am free again! I shook my head in effort to brush the memories and emotions away. They won't matter until I am free.

Reaching the higher levels of the subterranean hideout, the tantalizing tease of fresh air filled my nose with much welcome on part of my flaring nostrils. The new fragrance seemed to breathe new energy into my bones, causing my heart to start racing. The fatigued organ initiated a series of deeper, stronger heartbeats, even as a hint of euphoria graced my mind. The faint odor of rust and dust I now place behind me. Only freedom awaits ahead. Onward! Another door blocked my route to the world above me. The shadows of the hallways seemed ominously deep and dark in the scant yellow-white glow of overhead lights. Light was no issue for me, as I had my second vision handy to dispel the shadows. As I surveyed the room beyond the door, I realized that I had encountered the trap.

Little aside from instinct propelled me out of the way of an attack aimed at my head. With a growl, I turned to my right to take note of a behemoth hiding in the darkness. _Aura_ revealed to me a hulking mass of a pokemon. I already knew who it was. Regirock sought revenge for its frigid, fallen comrade I'd killed earlier. And what better time than this! Here I was, wounded, starving and weakened from the endless abuse of the Rockets.

The monolithic opponent certainly would provide me no quarter to breathe and gather my strength between its attacks; it lost its own kindred to that mistake earlier. I tried my best to brace myself for the brawl that ensued shortly. Do I have time for this battle? Cringing inwardly at the thought, I decided that the most violent option would prove the most effective. I was going to blast my wa-SHIT!

A powerful blow plowed into my ribs from the golem, winding me for the second time since I was captured. Flipping through the air like a rag-doll, I landed unceremoniously on the cement with a thud. My head throbbed and spun like a hamster's wheel, my chest burned relentlessly with shock as I doubted my ringing ears. Did I just hear a voice? I'm hearing things... No. There it is again. It's Giovanni! Dammit! Of all the times to be struck down!

My view of the ceiling filled with the hulking monolith of Regirock, jumping at the chance to exact its revenge. "Ugh..." Wake up! Snap out of it! IT'S RIGHT THERE! My body refused to obey my screaming, disoriented mind. With just a single blow... It winded me... A fist of granite raised over my rattled head, evidently about to flatten my skull into a crater of the cement below it. No. No. Move... I... have... to...

My body finally obeyed! Not a moment too soon! Without even thinking it, I delivered a _Force Palm_ to the hulking rock above me, sending it staggering back. "Regirock! Don't kill him! Fuck! He just got up! Regirock! Fight back!"

No chance... I raised a paw to form a trademark super _Aura Sphere_. I should give it its own name. _Aura Blast_... I like the sound of that. Take my _Aura Blast_, you hateful overgrown cinder-block! On cue, the bead of blue light grew in diameter and in brightness.

"Shit! Regirock! He's gonna shoot you!" Giovanni's yelling was of no use. The monolith gave out a cry of rage as it lifted a columnar hand, pointing at me before a sudden flash of orange heat startled my forming _Aura Blast,_ making it dissipate with the blink of an eye.

What!? An explosion of scathing lava erupted around me, burning my silver coat and filling my nose with the stench of burning flesh. The only thing I could do then was scream in agony as the melted mass of earth burned into my skin. _Earthpower_! That move is the _bane_ of all steel-types! I'm fucked... Oww! No! The golem cried out again, sending me into a second blast of melting silica. Argh! The second wave of anguish proved so potent it rendered me unable to even cry out! I didn't know pain of this magnitude even existed! It burns! Make it stop! I collapsed in exhaustion, powerless in the face of such an effective attack. No... My chance...

And like that, two rounds crushed my best efforts to live again. No escape!

**VII**

Awakening was an ordeal on its own. The sight of my own body caused me to grimace. Hideous scars of melted flesh made a patchwork of my arms and legs, which I had used to shield my face and chest from the brunt of the attack. Replaced in the cage for which I had grown _very_ fond of I found that, metaphorically speaking, I had somehow trapped myself in the bottom of a pit that was itself in the bottom of a larger pit. A pit of deepest despair. And, moment by moment, the top drifts farther away from me... This pit is bottomless... A black hole. Bottomless... pit... No way... Out...

I've got to... get out... of here... at all... cost...

A week later, I was back on my feet. Recovered from the battle, if you wish to call it that. How long ago did I have that battle? Time itself is losing relevance with the toils and gloom that have saturated my heart. I have no will to go on. Rock-bottom. I've hit rock-bottom. The ocean of despair and darkness I was sinking into... is _above_ me now. I'm at rock-bottom. I no longer bother with talking to the other pokemon. The distance between us is too great to cross with mere words. That is, assuming they are worth talking to in the first place... and they aren't.

Ugh. What was I doing again? I glanced up in anxiety, realizing that I've lost my mind. I can't remember anymore... I'm... going mad... Life is a lie... A lie... Doc told the Boss I needed some time outside. Somethin' about mental health? What's up with that? It can't hurt, I guess. Can it? He said its late September, or something. Meh. The Boss put this new collar on me. It's an electric collar, too! I make him mad, and _buzzzz_... Hurts like a bitch. I don't really care now. Kinda like to piss the guy off! _Buzzzzzzzt!_

...Wow. From time to time, I get these moments of delirium. Insanity spells of some kind or another. They've been occurring with increasing regularity. I suspect that the omnipresent gloom and lack of sleep are the cause. It would be safe to assume that in due time, I'll devolve into a full-blown head-case. My rational thought is out the window, along with all of my memories and pain. I recall the statement I gave earlier about wishing I had gone mad to escape the pain I feel here. I didn't realize it would happen! Now what? It would seem that insanity thrives in the wakes of incredible loss in the absence of consoling and sympathy. That makes life ahead look all the more dreary. I lost the will to live long ago. For some reason or another, my body can't listen or decides _not_ to listen to my heart, and it is driving my mind to madness. Madness...

What? I am outside? What's going on? Am I dreaming again? Giovanni is speaking to Doctor X. Huh...

"Giovanni, sir. I'm strongly concerned about the lucario."

"How come? The collar works most of the time."

"I'm afraid that's beside the point, sir. The pokemon has this dazed look in his eyes. He loses attention more frequently than he used to. I must tell you that as a professional, I am _worried_ about his recent developments. The outlook is not good."

"What, then? Will I have to kill _the_ most powerful lucario in history? No, and hell no! Why do I bother hiring you, just to start implying such nonsense!?"

"I have a simple solution. We can clone him. A squad of super-lucario! Why settle with just one that has such mental trauma, when we can start with a multitude boasting a clean slate?" The doctor's eyes lit up with a sinister glow.

"And that's a _quick_ reminder of why I hired you. Good, Dr. X. Get to it, posthaste!" The Boss gave produced his trademark smirk as he patted Dr. X on the back.

"Yes, sir. With pleasure."

Now that they mention it, I recall they have a store of my blood on ice in a particular room near the upper level. I should destroy it. To keep them from using such power for evil ends. Evil is the only thing Rocket has ever been...

The door began opening to the underground concealed in a thicket of trees. Dr. X is opening the room with my samples in it. I need to act now! Now! On instinct, paws lifted to aim at the room, a clear shot from the entrance. _Aura_ tassels lifted to focus energy. Hardly a moment passed when Boss realized what I was doing, even as the characteristic blue glow of _Aura_ lit my view. A violent surge of electricity ripped through my muscles, ending the attempted _Aura_ _Blast_. Damn. Why didn't I disable the Boss first? Stupid!

The electricity made it agonizing to move. I bared my fangs in the midst of the burden before landing a moderately soft blow on my captor's chest-Moderately soft by fighting-type standards. Instinct told me to strike the heart; my mind begged to differ. I had no intention to kill the man, so a swift strike to his breast winded him. The punch caused him to drop like a sandbag making only a quick grunt before seeming to blank out, unresponsive afterwards. Muscles continued violently convulsing as the collar continued sending a river of hot electrons through my flesh. Pain...

Forming an _Aura Blast_ already proved difficult, and now this damned collar is on, it seems impossible. No! I have to do it! I have to! I've got to blast that room at all costs! I cringed as my mind strained for what seemed an eternity, raising my paws to once more aim at the room. Dr. X hadn't closed the door, so I still had a chance to complete the brutal task.

Steady... Steady... Oh... The pain... Hurts... so... much... Without thinking, I reached the collar to remove it, causing the device to protest with more energy. "Auughh..." Get.. Off... Of... Me... "Guhhh..." Snap! The collar gave way with a death cry that sounded like the shot from a small firearm. Collar fell to the ground, my greatest electric foe now dead.

Paws lifted again. Blue orb formed again. The pain had refused to go away, protesting more violently as I commanded muscles to strain in ways they hated, still stung by the sizzling of circuitry. Pain... I groaned with discomfort once more. I've got to focus on the _Aura_. Focus...

Again, the pain made a difficult task seemingly impossible. But it had to be done... The door won't stay open forever! Just as Dr X. had exited the room, the instant he was about to close the door, I released an _Aura Blast_ that I had poured my very soul into making. My work is almost done. Blue orb of brilliant, pulsing light darted forward to its goal, stopping for nothing on its course. Seemingly by chance, the Doc saw the sphere of energy just in time to sprint away from the ground zero. He had started muttering and swearing about the_ Aura Blast_, and he could do so all he wanted as far as I cared. The task required no execution once the blue light fled my paws.

I turned to make a break for it, dash like mad after freedom that had eluded me for the past month. What could stop me? The collar is irrelevant now. In that moment, my dash for freedom had began!

From the corner of my vision, I saw Dr. X drop to the ground face-down as he covered his ears. By then I was over thirty meters away from the doctor when the explosion tore through the open door, sending a front of fire out behind the shock wave. The ground vibrated beneath my feet even as I continued running. I had decided to make a dash for the wetlands due west of the hideout as the blast-wave thundered in my ears. Only ten meters to the forest edge.

Right as I passed a green herb a sudden, unyielding jolt stopped me dead in my tracks. What? But I don't see any... The force shield! It must be active! I'm trapped! No! After all of this!? It can't be! Blue eyes widened as my jaw dropped open.

A voice from behind inserted itself in the midst of my panicked thoughts, so I turned around to face a limping, still standing scientist, a sinister twist of a smirk teasing at the corners of his mouth. His glasses had bent in the haste of his nose-dive, now perching oddly upon the bridge of his nose. Stains of moist earth blotted the usually clean white of his lab-coat. His raven hair jostled in the breeze as unfeeling, brown eyes pierced into mine. "I thought you'd try to escape! But I didn't know you would blast all of my blood samples just then. Clever creature! Why must you confound my plans!? You'll pay for that..." ,

"Dr. X!" The voice of none other than Giovanni. "The lucario! Did he just-"

"No, Lord Giovanni. I activated the field to contain him. He's a clever one. He destroyed the blood samples with his Aura Sphere. I'll simply recollect them." Urk. I hate the needles they poked me with. Needles for whatever in the world it is they do. The needle I hated most, though, was the needle specified for blood. Needles for blood are huge! I don't want to go through this all over again! I refuse! Not that cage again! NOT AGAIN!

By that time, the Boss stood beside his comrade, both of them focused on a frustrated grey jackal who'd just run out of options. Tears gave no mercy in revealing my inner torment, rewarding my already weary mind with the weight of sadistic snickering. The scientist revealed a dart pistol, loaded with tranquilizers meant for me. My teeth gritted. He thought _everything_ through. No wonder he had caught the eyes of Giovanni to hire him those years ago... But what can I do now?

Right at my side, several stems of a green herb jutted out from the mucky earth. Atop hollow green stalks with fanned leaves standing two-meters tall, rounded cushions of lacey white flowers adorned the plants. That plant... Without thinking, I reached out to yank one stem from the earth, even as mud I stood upon seeped between my tows. The stem snapped in protest when I uprooted it, to no success of stirring my sympathy. I noticed immediately that the roots bulged like bloated, pallid fingers, dripping with brown muck.

"Dr. X, the lucario is planning something. What, I wouldn' t know. What could he do with a weed, anyway?" Giovanni chuckled as the two captors watched me study the just-plucked herb. Then a radical idea struck me.

Without a moment's hesitation I drew the root to my mouth to ingest it. Hollowed chambers within the pale taproot ruptured with a snap as the storing parenchyma cells in the cortex, bordered by rigid collenchyma and fibrous sclerenchyma, yielded to my teeth releasing a solution of water, starch, sugars, cellulose, and a pale yellow substance between my sharp fangs. I took a second bite, followed by a third. The moisture of the fluid met my tongue in an agreeably bittersweet fashion. Tears erupted from my eyes a second time, in the grips of a profound and rather exotic emotion that clashed with the constant, dour feelings that drowned me relentlessly over the past few months. By the fifth bite, I had eaten the entire taproot. The researcher shot me by then with a dart to disable me, but he was already too late.

"Uh oh," Dr. X grew uneasy as he watched. He had an idea of what was going on, but not certain enough to feel comfort in acting on it. You gave me my chance by hesitating, Dr. X. So I took it.

"The hell's he doing!? Dr. X! What's going on!?" The Boss' voice raised, and understandably so, watching me behave in such an erratic manner. Little did he know I'd already put the chase to an end.

"Giovanni, sir. If I'm not mistaken-"

"If you're not mistaken!? Tell me now!" The boss roared in frustration.

"My apologies, sir. I'm a geneticist, not a botanist."

Dr. X strained a swallow as he locked eyes with me, conveying hatred with a hint of admiration. Sky-blue eyes glittered with bliss while earthen-brown eyes dimmed with regrets and uncertainty.

"What a clever pokemon," the scientist growled.

"Dr. X!"

"I am afraid the pokemon has successfully escaped our captivity."

Giovanni gawked for a moment before producing a guffaw at the scientist's revelation. "Nonsense! He's standing right here, trapped. You said so yourself!"

It would be a matter of time before resolution took hold of the situation. So we stood there in anxiety, waiting for results in the agents introduced into my body. My work is finished at last. The tranquilizer started to set in within minutes, a reliable and tame chemical engineered by Man to contain and control captives that at the moment would amount only to futility.

Even as the tranquilizer had started to exert its effects, another agent amounted to the first conquered by that which proved far more powerful. Without warning, my muscles began convulsing in an erratic manner, accompanied by a sudden onset of uncontrollable drooling and a weakened, fluttering heartbeat. My eyes squirmed and shifted in their orbits without a known reason to do so. Vision blackened for the last time as my body hit the ground, startling an already puzzling and shouting Giovanni, his voiced frustrations gaining great distance from my muddled mind.

The conscience within me had started drifting away from reach, beyond rescue. Darkness enveloped me for the last time. This darkness wasn't hostile by any means, so very unlike the darkness that had plagued me in the past. This darkness welcomed me, it soothed my tensed nerves; it gave rest to my weary heart! The impact of earth on my teary facade is the last thing I felt. To me it felt as if the harsh earth meaning to crash into my collapse became convinced by my anguish to instead cradle me like a cushion made of the most docile down...

**Epilogue**

Three days later...

Dr. X invited two of his colleagues to a modest cafe to dine with Giovanni as company. Giovanni contemplated bitterly just after seating himself at the table of a cafe in Mahogany, Johto. The waitress didn't realize that day she had served the boss of an infamous criminal organization. Giovanni wore a just-ironed suit of steel grey with a light-green dress-shirt and a crimson tie. Even when he wasn't doing business, he always managed to look sharp. His stern and intelligent visage revealed nothing, but he had a concealed mental tension developing in his mind.

_I still don't understand... That lucario! Damn you, lucario! You were so close to ruining my plan. Soo close..._

The cafe, petite in stature albeit cozy, contained memorabilia, trinkets, and props relating to the famed Lake of Rage due north. Fishing nets, poles, tackle boxes, life vests, and photos of record-holding magikarp adorned the finished walls of spruce paneling, imported from the coniferous forests of Sinnoh. The square table of white and blue checkered cloth rested beside the large, picture window, granting the Mafia-esque head of Rocket a clear view to the outside. His attention shifted from the local dreary newspaper at his place to the tiring weather outside. Local newspapers are rather dull, Giovanni mused. Oh well.

The weather arrived that morning windy and wet, and rather cold. A maple across the street, turning from its rich green summer outfit into a burnt-orange, shuddered in the wind. Good thing I have an overcoat_,_ the Boss reflected. Indeed, a fawn overcoat hanged over his chair, still damp from the rain outside. The man glanced at his watch to review the time. 11:20 am. They'll be here any minute now. Ripples of clear water drifted down the windowpane, blurring the view outside whenever the wind sent great bursts of water at the front of the cafe with its characteristic tapping ring of water on glass. Along the sidewalk outside, pedestrians sought shelter in the small town's shops and shop entrances, provided the entrances had awnings or roofs to restrain the dreary drizzle, which most of them did.

"Sir, may I get ya somethin' to drink?" Criminal mastermind turned to view a young girl with wavy, auburn hair standing before him.

"Yes. Hot coffee would be grand. Thanks."

"Right away." The man hated the blustery weather with a passion. At least it wasn't so bad with proper clothing. The front door opened, bumping a bell in the process of allowing a new arrival refuge from the chilling wet, a gift from the First of October. Mother Nature proved herself to be a determined enemy at best, hampering the man and his cohorts not only with the capture of an exceptionally powerful lucario, but even now bothering their travel with its barrage of near-freezing rain and chilling gusts on the streets.

Giovanni lifted his eyes from the newspaper, catching sight of a new customer dressed in a fedora and raincoat, and a pair of newly-repaired wire-frame glasses. The glasses met the Boss as a familiar trait. Dr. X had arrived, or more appropriately, Jordan. For good reason, the title of _Dr. X_ remained hidden from the public eye. Had one glanced at his ID, it would have said "Mitchell, Jordan. PhD." The world knew him as a renowned geneticist who studied pokemon for decades. To Giovanni he was something more. Mewtwo was Dr. X's brainchild, a secret Team Rocket project. The trials with the awesome pokemon ended with the Rockets getting to draw the short stick, so to speak. Considering Mewtwo's power and cunning, that's hardly a surprise.

Glancing around for a moment, Jordan paced towards Giovanni after removing and shaking his hat of rainwater before replacing it on his head to shake his raincoat in a similar fashion. A bitter, knowing smile swapped between the two men as Jordan removed his coat to seat himself across from Giovanni. They went through their latest ordeal side by side, aiming for the same goal and withstanding the same results.

"Good day, Mr. Milio," the scientist greeted the Boss with his proper alias. The Boss nodded in acknowledgment before replying in kind.

"Good day, Jordan. How are things going today?"

"Cold and weary, this morning. Life goes on."

"Yes, it does."

The waitress returned with steaming mug of hot, potent, black coffee, placing it at Milio's hand. She then handed the leader a pitcher of cream. Without a second thought, he placed it to the side unused. He preferred his joe black.

"Hello. May I get you somethin' to drink?"

Jordan paused for a moment, examining Milio's hot beverage. Hot drinks work like charms on cold days such as this. "I'll have hot tea, please. With lemon."

"Would you like to place your order?" A pair of menus left her hands to rest on the table. The two men exchanged a glance in response. Food would clutter the table before the business could finish. Best to wait a while. They let the menus sit just as they were placed.

"Not yet. Thank you."

"Of course. I'll be back with your tea."

Once she left again, Jordan nodded to a briefcase he set beside him. "I've got the herb pressed and laminated for Juan and Britney to identify it. Considering what it had done to that pokemon, I wore gloves to handle it. All I can tell you as a geneticist is that its frilly white flowers remind me of Queen Anne's lace, also known as the wild carrot. It might be related, it might not be."

Milio grasped the hot mug in his hands, relishing the heat through the thick ceramic material. He lifted it slowly to his face to inhale the strong aroma of roasted coffee beans.

"So, who are Juan and Britney? Colleagues of yours?"

"Correct. Juan's a chemist, and Britney's a botanist. I couldn't imagine better experts to consult on these recent events. We haven't met in years. Our professions caused us to drift apart. They will be here any moment now."

"Good. I've been stuck wondering for the past three days just what happened with that pokemon. Speaking of which, we need to conceal the nature behind the event. Present it as an accident."

"True. Although the fact the pokemon was part steel type makes the event seem more strange. Even then, we should reveal that it was part steel to our guests to clarify things."

"That's the other thing that bothered me. I thought steel types were immune to poisoning."

"As did I. Evidently, that only applies to poison produced by pokemon. Steel type poisoning is not unheard of, according to my research."

"That's most unfortunate."

"I couldn't have said it better myself, sir."

The two men exchanged a sardonic smile with a pause. Before long, two other individuals seated themselves with the pair, exchanging greetings with one another. The meeting at last had began.

The aforementioned botanist had greying brown hair with a slight wave tied in a bun neatly residing above a pair of intelligent brown eyes glinting through her glasses. She had rather unremarkable build otherwise, average height and weight. The chemist, Juan, towered above all around him, in spite of a slight frame. He might have reminded one observing him of a bean-pole. His tan complexion seemed to glow in contrast to the drab weather outside the window.

Jordan opened his briefcase on cue to produce the pressed herb, and handed it to Britney without delay. Britney's eyes widened immediately at sighting the cursed herb. Her voice wavered as she reluctantly lifted the press to examine it.

"This is the herb... that your mawile ate? God! No wonder..."

Milio and Mitchell both creased their lips in anxiety. What's bothering her so greatly? She's shaking with the press still in her hands!

"What is it, Britney?" The woman's face grew pallid before she choked out an attempted reply. She had to repeat herself for clarity. Her voice changed from a quiver to a deadpan.

"_Cicuta maculata. _This is water hemlock. The most dangerous herb on the continent..."

Silence smothered what could have been an answer from the two secret Rockets.

"Hemlock?"

"Yes. All of the books scream about its danger. Hundreds of people have died from this herb. It is often mistaken for the harmless wild carrot, to which it is distantly related, or it is mistaken for ginseng, with fatal results. Since most of the victims don't live to report what they'd eaten, the numbers of fatality would actually be much higher. Its lethal agent is known as _Cicutoxin, _concentrated most strongly in the roots. It's so dangerous that the root from one plant is fatal to a full-grown, 1600 pound cow. A little mawile wouldn't have stood a chance, regardless of it being a steel type. I believe it is Juan's turn to fill you in on the details."

Three views focused on the chemist, so he cleared his throat before admitting "I am not that elegant with biochemistry, but I will tell you something about it. It is a aliphatic, highly unsaturated alcohol, and it is hydrophobic. It is a seventeen carbon conjugated polyactylene." Mitchell, secretly known as Doctor X, mused with delight on the information. Giovanni, being untaught in chemistry, merely nodded. Dr. X gave his concluding comment.

"So it is related to the carrot? I thought the flowers looked similar. The pokemon just ripped it up and ate it like a bar of Rage-candy..."

"No surprise. Part of the reason for its danger is it doesn't smell or taste bad like other toxic herbs do. It's faintly sweet, actually."

Giovanni wrung his hands in frustration. How did the lucario know? He even destroyed necessary samples they'd drawn from him! Whatever... That pokemon was too close to ruining everything! So much laboratory equipment had perished thanks to that well-placed _Aura Blast._ A grave loss and setback at best. But even then, he didn't ruin _everything_. They could buy more to replace it. The mastermind grinned ever so slightly, escaping the attention of his three enthralled scientist friends as they continued with their discourse on the mystery plant. Giovanni's cunning accomplice had a sole small vial of spare blood from the powerful creature stashed in a flask of liquid nitrogen in a closet behind his office; its secure, heavy wooden door, though charred, saved it from the awesome blast. Giovanni's super-lucario army was now more than a fanciful dream. With due time, it would become reality...

**The End**

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